"middle end" vs "low end" mbp

How much better is the middle-end vs the low end, with no upgrades. Will they both play all games now and probably in the next 3 or 4 years(i realize time-viewing is quite hard), at any resolution i dont care THAT much, although it is also nice to have nice graphics, above 25 fps. Also they both have the santa rosa chip set right? i read somewhere only 2.4 ghz and up are santa rosa

If you take the hard drive and RAM out of the question the only real differences between the two 15" models is .2GHz processor clock speed and 128MB VRAM. All else is the same or attainable via a CTO order.
Personally, unless you're a big gamer or do 3D graphics work you're not going to not much of a a difference, if any, between them. The processor difference won't even be noticed.

Similar Messages

  • High end MBP 15" or low end MBP with retina display?

    I am having trouble deciding between the two laptops so I wanted to get some opinions.
    I use photoshop and dreamweaver a lot. I ususally will have tons of applications/tabs open at the same time, including a lot of pages with different video players. I use iMovie at most once per month. I do like to plug in multiple displays through the thunderbolt ports so having 2 and an hdmi port would be nice. It mainly comes down to is the macbook pro with retina worth losing .3Ghz per core on the retina. To fix the memory (not RAM) I figured when necessary I would just get a thunderbolt external hard drive. And finally how much more space would the OSX and/or a program take up with so many more pixels. I also need this computer to last a while because I will most likely have to wait more than 4 years to update, but I can upgrade the ram of the mbp with retina display later to 16gb, but the macbook pro 15 has a 3.6ghz processor. Once again if i need more space I will just get a thunderbolt external drive. So could I please have some oppinions on what I should chose?

    Even my 2011 MBP can take 16 GB RAM.  I would be VERY surprised if the 2012 model cannot handle 16 GB RAM once macsales.com and crucial.com test enough of the available RAM types to find the most-compatible type.  Apple advertises limitations based on testing with "commonly available" parts.  2x8 GB RAM chips are still around $150, so Apple probably did not test them.  But only time (and those willing to test with their brand-new units) will prove that.
    As to the actual increase is speed from the extra 0.3, I would not hazard a guess because you will run a very specific set of software under a very specific CPU and GPU (graphics processing unit) load.  But I would suspect the Retina unit will run faster than the non-Retina IF you buy a non-Retina with a HDD instead of the SDD.  SDD will outperform HDD in most cases.
    My humple opinion, Retina units are lighter and lack utility ports.  But they have the quad-core CPUs people want and more display-ports.  Those who program computers will likely buy the non-Retina units.  Those who play with pictures will buy the Retina units.

  • Draw arc with three point( start, middle, end)

    hi all,
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    Not clear what you want, but will try
    How to calculate - the unit is the pixel it takes practice thats all & a bit of trial and error.
           | intB (pixels from the top)                          
           |
           |
      intA |_____________________________
    (from left)                          |
           |                             |
           |                             |
           |                             |
           |                             |
           |                             |
           |                             |
           |                             |
           |                             |
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  • Reduced battery life for high-end MBP 15 2011?

    I just bought a new MBP 15" 2011 model (2.2 GHz), an upgrade from my previous MBP 2009 (MacBookPro5,3; Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.66GHz)). I have noticed that the real world battery life is significantly worse than the previous model (3-4 hours vs. 6-7 hours). This doesn't seem due to the actual full charge capacity, since the MBP 2009 still has over 6000 mAh, whereas the new MBP 2011 shows around 7000mAh. Rather, it seems my MBP 2011 draws a lot more power from the battery than the MBP 2009. Could it be that the high-resolution matte screen is the culprit? FYI, the spec of my MBP 2011 is as follows (old specs in the parentheses):
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    If I remember rightly the 2009 units didn't have on the fly graphics switching?
    The new ones do. That means sometimes you can be on the more powerful graphics card with out realising - this will kill your battery life. Wrote about it here for the 2010 models: http://www.markc.me.uk/MarkC/Blog/Entries/2010/4/21Early_2010_Macbook_Pro_-_Battery_LifePoor.html
    There's a great piece of software that will allow you to control & see which graphics card you're on - I bet if you stick to the integrated graphics you'll see your battery life improve significantly.
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  • New high end MBP when connected to 27" monitor gaming has a pulse type lag that is unrelated to FPS. I have tried everything and nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?

    Please help!

    Hi,
    thanks very much for taking an interest and sharing your experiences. I'm glad your problem seems to have been resolved.
    For me, none of the tricks you mention really solve the problem. As far as I understand, all of them come down to forcing the macbook pro to use the nvidia graphics (instead of integrated graphics) to run the monitor. When I do this, the amount of flickering is reduced dramatically, but it's still there - instead of constant flickers, I get them usually a couple times a minute, sometimes a few minutes in between. While that's an improvement, it's still very annoying, and distracts from doing work or watching movies.
    Again, the MPB 13 doesn't have this problem in any circumstance.
    I've posted a little video illustrating this: http://picasaweb.google.com/kevinjorissenpdx/ComputerProblems20101008?authkey=Gv1sRgCPad7e7M3qas-QE# and choose the last file.
    You'll see the screen flicker like crazy, then I press shift-control-eject, which puts the screen to sleep, then I wake it up again - the mbp now knows it has to be on nvidia just as after you rebooted - and in the remaining minute or so, you can see it flicker twice (this is boring to wait for ;)), of course it did it again right after I switched off the camera . This is a 'best case' ; usually, the disturbances come every 15-20 seconds. I don't know why it varies.
    if BSteely or anyone else has a way of submitting my reports to Apple, please go ahead. I'd like to finally get my monitor working right ...
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  • Leopard froze at the middle of installation and now mbp won't start

    I first tried to install Leopard by upgrade mode but it froze after the dvd verification so I restarted it and no problem, the second time I tried Erase and install mode, and in the middle of the installation process it froze, there were 41 minutes left and the disc stopped continually but then it would start again, but this time it froze, the dvd made the same sound over and over and the screen didn't move either so I restarted it and the "kernel panic" message appeared, restarted it again with leopard inside and now it's stuck on the gray screen. I even put a installation disc and it tried to install the previous version, I guess it doesn't have any OS installed so it doesn't know what to do.....now what should I do?

    Run Apple Hardware Test: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509
    If it reports your drive is damaged, replace it immediately. If your backup's are not able to recover your data then you can use Time Machine to restore. If you haven't been using Time Machine or another form of backup then you will need to search for a Data Recovery service however this solution is expensive and not 100% certain they can recover your data.
    Not to be unkind but there really isn't any reason to not be backing up on a regular basis.
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  • Which kind of MBP?

    Hi!
    I'm getting the new MBP retina 13", and I will be using it for gaming, among other things. Is there a big difference between 4GB and 8GB of RAM in terms of performance? Does 2.4GHz or 2.8GHz make much difference?
    I would be running BootCamp for some games, I'm not sure if that makes a difference.
    Basically, I'd like to know if the lower end MBP 13" would do well playing games such as World of Warcraft, Total War: Rome II, etc., as I can't afford the higher-end machines.
    Thanks!

    Adding RAM only makes it possible to run more programs concurrently.  It doesn't speed up the computer nor make games run faster.  What it can do is prevent the system from having to use disk-based VM when it runs out of RAM because you are trying to run too many applications concurrently or using applications that are extremely RAM dependent.  It will improve the performance of applications that run mostly in RAM or when loading programs.
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  • CPU speed of 1st MBP

    Just curious. What's the CPU speed of the first (lower-end) MBP? 2.0Ghz?

    The lowest end was a 15" 1.83 GHz Core Duo. There was actually a 1.67 GHz MBP that was "introduced" but never shipped - Apple announced in Jan 2006 (MacWorld Expo) that the new MBPs would have 1.67 and 1.83 GHz processors, but then gave them a speed bump (via press release) to 1.83 and 2.0 GHz models that actually shipped.
    The 17" MBPs started with 2.16 GHz Core Duo processors.
    Hope this helps...

  • Mbp or mb for photoshop

    ok so im off to college next year and i will be doing alot of graphical editing mostly as far as i know running photoshop and illustrator. maybe others eventually. so my question is would a macbook be adequte for running these applications or would the pro be more suited for these tasks?
    thanks for you help

    Are you guys serious? It has also been my experience that with a glob of extra RAM as well as the dedicated GPU of the MBP that Photoshop performs much better on the MBP vs. the MB. I admit that helping a friend make an album cover isn't the most intense use of Photoshop but when doing the similar task on my sister's MacBook, to me there was no comparison; the MacBook Pro simply felt more responsive. Plus, the dedicated memory on the video card leaves that much more system RAM free for other use. Yes, while Photoshop does utilize "raw" CPU speed and ram, it could also utilize the extra memory of a dedicated GPU, something that certainly couldn't hurt performance. (Just Google "dedicated video photoshop"; seems as though I'm not the only one that shares this opinion.)
    And $700?! Where are you getting that figure from? According to the Apple Store website, with student discount, the difference between a high-end MB and low-ed MBP is $400, which is still significant, but certainly not as drastic as $700. And considering the enhancements that the pro model gets, $400 certainly seems reasonable. (I have yet to see another main-stream laptop with a backlit keyboard!)
    So ultimately, the decision comes down to whether or not you want to spend the $400 for the pro model. Carefully consider the pros and cons of each model, and also keep in mind that you want to be able to hold on to this computer for as long as possible, at least throughout college. Especially if you're going to continue doing graphic work throughout school, I would seriously consider the pro.

  • FCP On MBP (128mb v-ram)

    Hi guys,
    I'm possibly purchasing the low-end MBP, the one with 128mb in v-ram.
    Will I be able to run Final Cut Pro (with hd video), Motion and Adobe After Effects succesfully?
    with regards
    biggip

    if you are working in hd video i would go with the higher end mbp. if you are just working with standard def then you should be fine. i used to even do a lot of video editing on an old 12" ibook with 64Mb of vram...right now i have one of the early mbp's with 256Mb vram and it flies while running final cut pro. i don't do any hd work as of yet though.

  • MBP 13 i5, 13 i7, or 15 i7?

    I really need your help deciding guys. This is my first venture into Macs. I'm going to college this fall as an undeclared major although I'm leaning towards film and even if I don't become a film major I'll still be into filmmaking.I can't decide between the affordable and portable MBP 13 or the more powerful MBP 15. FCPX will probably be my most demanding program. If i get a 13'' I'll definately get an external monitor. Will the MBP 13 run FCP at all? Will it be comfortable performace wise? How bad is the intel 3000? Is it bad at all? I really want to go as low as possible with price but if I must I can try to find some more cash to go for the higher end MBP. Thanks in advance for any help guys! ps. I'm getting a ssd regardless of which MBP I get.

    If you can somehow afford it you might want to consider two machines ... a new 21" iMac quad core all-in-one desktop for home, and a 13" for the road.  I know it's expensive, but here's why I say this ...
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  • MBP 15" Retina Battery Life Problems

    Hello all!
    I recently got the highest end MBP 15" Retina and it runs AMAZINGLY fast, but the only problem I'm having with is the battery life.
    For example, right now, at 100% charge, the predicted time is 4 hours and 35 minutes, but it's plummeting very quickly; I don't think I'll get more than 1 or 2 hours.
    On the website, the average predicted battery life is almost 8 hours. I understand that the numbers on Apple's website may not be exact, but I feel like getting a quarter or even half of the advertised battery life suggests there is something wrong as well? o-o
    I'm not doing anything intensive on my computer either; just simple web browsing and chatting on Skype.
    I've searched the internet for solutions, and I've already tried resetting PRAM AND NVRAM settings, I've turned off Bluetooth, and checked off all of the Power Saver settings in Preferences.
    My battery's condition is "Normal" since I recently purchased it.
    I'm curious if anyone has a solution to this problem? (To give an idea of how fast the battery is draining, I started writing this post with 100% battery, and now it's at 98% several minutes later)
    If anyone has any advice, it'd be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks in advanced!

    puzzledsean wrote:
    I'm not doing anything intensive on my computer either; just simple web browsing and chatting on Skype.
    Skype is one of the most resource hungry application that one may use.  It will drain the battery very quickly.  When using it, connect your MBP to the power adapter.
    Read the Apple hype regarding battery run time.  The operative term is 'UP TO' not will achieve 8 hours run time.  In the 'real world' conditions, battery run time will be determined by the number and type of applications you are using.  If you are just text editing, you may very well get 8 hours from from the battery, but certainly not with Skype games or video.
    Ciao.

  • Need help selecting the right MBP for me, just bought a pc with Windows 8 and I already regret it..

    Ok, so I'm an engineering student and I am in need of a good laptop to run programming and design type software. I have an older iMac which I love but I need the portability of a laptop for school. I was thinking I would be fine with a pc since most of the software I would be using for school is windows based. So last night, after shopping around for quite a bit, I decided to go with a Sony Vaio E series laptop with Windows 8, 8gb ram, i7 processor, dedicated graphics card, 1tb hard drive, and touch screen. It was the best performance laptop (on paper) Best Buy had in the store for just under $1000. I would have loved to get an upper end MBP but they are over twice the price as the Sony.. So I get it home with the Vaio and it feels laggy and glitchy, it takes 2 seconds for the window to pop up after 'right clicking', I can see lines in the screen, the resolution seems far from HD when on the normal looking windows side (as opposed to the tablet look, forgive my poor terminology) and the web browser, and the touch pad seems to be hit or miss in that it doesn't always register the touch pad commands. I checked all of the visual and performance settings, made the resolution as high as possible, changed some of the settings to the high performance settings, made sure all of my drivers were updated, and the only effect was a very loud fan that runs constantly.
    So in short, I am going to take this back and start looking at the macbook pros. Here's my dilemna, I don't know which specs I will definitely need in a Macbook Pro. I need to be able to run windows on it either in parallel or as a partition for my programs necessary for school. Can the MBP run windows smoothly enough to run 3D design types of programs? If so, which one should I get? I love the size of the 13" MBP but it only has a dual core processor, instead of the quad core like the 15" MBP, I'm not sure if I definitely need the quad over the dual core. I would love a solid state MBP but they are out of my price range and not enough space if I end up partitioning it.
    Sorry for the book, but school starts Monday and I need some direction to find out which one I need to get fairly quickly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Take a look at this MBP, a refurbished unit.  Don't let the late 2011 release date put you off.  For about  $500 less than an equivalent 'new' one with similar specifications you get a quad core CPU and excellent graphics.  As Steve359 mentioned, this can be upgraded if the need arises and has the same warranty as a 'new' one
    I would not be surprised that these may actually be 'new' MBPs due to the length of time that they have been replaced by the current generation.  I purchased a 17" model about 5 weeks ago, and a serial number check suggests that it is 9 weeks old.
    http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0NM5LL/A
    Ciao.

  • Forgive me for a MBP vs iMac question

    Please forgive my post as I'm sure people are tired of this question, but I'd like to ask with details about how I work.
    My current MBP is an early 2010 with the following:
    3.06 GHZ Core 2 Duo
    8 GIG ram - 1067 MHZ DDR3
    NVIDIA GoForce 9600M GT 512 MB
    I bought this to edit video, and it has worked great. Just a side note, I bought this and 1 month later the new i7's came out!! Ugh.
    Anyway, as I was saying, it's working fine, but now that I'm using FCPX and Motion, it's acting a bit tired, and I usually get a new computer every 2 years anyway.
    My question is this, will the new TOP of the line MBP provide a noticable difference from my current MBP? Or should I be leaning towards a new iMac?
    Second question is this, is the top end iMac faster than a top end MBP?
    I'm interested in pure performance, so portability isn't an issue.
    Thanks
    Tony

    Ok, so I spent some time on the phone with apple, how disappointing... I spoke with a person at the apple store, which they directed me to apple sales, and they just told me what the website said, not to mention he told me that the iMac with the upgraded processor is only for gamming and it wouldn't do anything for me for video editing... ugh...
    Anyway, I'm leaning towards the maxed out 17" MBP with my 24" monitor.
    http://www.macworld.com/article/157893/2011/02/2011macbookpro_benchmarks.html
    Thoughts?
    Thanks so much for all your help.
    Tony

  • Why does the retail store only carry 5400rpm drives in mbp 17?

    Just wondering why the stores carry the mbp 17's but only with a 5400rpm drive? I realize I can order it and change the drive options, but if they carried more options IN store they would sell more (I think at least).
    A 7200 rpm drive option @ 500gb in the store vs only online would have helped push me to buy in store today, and in general for something that is going to be high end and well over 2.5K base a 7200rpm drive doesn't seem to much to ask for as a base in store stocked item - just sayin'
    Bill

    FTLOSM wrote:
    Not bashin guess i was just a bit dissapointed after pricing a few things out online, going into 2 differerent stores and both having the 17 inchers but only 5400 rpm drives... Guess I will just be ordering online no biggie just seemed like a way for apple to make more $ to offer a bit more selection options especially on the higher end mbp (seems like a 7200 should be base starting hd in 2011 at least)...
    Understandable. Also consider that the HD is very easy to swap; I strongly suspect they'd do it for you right on the spot in the store, but then again you'd have to buy the 7200 from them. I don't know that I've ever heard of anyone just being able to pay the difference in the store, let them swap the drives and keep the still-new 5400; I doubt they'd go for it, but wouldn't hurt to ask if it's important to you.

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